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Chapel Hill, N.C. — FINAL: UNC 81, UNCG 50: North Carolina went on a 25-1 run to end the first half Saturday and proceeded to rout Wes Miller’s UNC-Greensboro team 81-50. The Tar Heels were led with a game-high 14 points from Brice Johnson as they forced 21 Spartans turnovers.

3:49 2nd: UNC 72, UNCG 41: At the final media timeout, all that is left in this contest is the final buzzer. UNC has five players in double figures including a game-high 13 from James Michael McAdoo.

7:01 2nd: UNC 67, UNCG 33: Another 10-0 run by UNC has them up by 34 points and this game is well in hand for the Tar Heels.

11:56 2nd: UNC 57, UNCG 33: This game has moved into cruise control as UNC still leads by 24 points at the under-12. The Tar Heels are starting to go deep as they have now played 10 guys.

15:52 2nd: UNC 52, UNCG 27: UNC-G poured in a 10-2 run to open the second half, but UNC has regained traction and leads by 25 early in the second half.

HALF: UNC 44, UNCG 14: UNC ended the first half on a 25-1 run and takes a commanding 44-14 lead into the break. Marcus Paige leads all scorers with 12 points and has 5 assists and 4 rebounds to go along.

UNCG did not make a field goal over the last 8:22 of the half and only make six total in the first 20 minutes.

3:39 1st: UNC 33, UNCG 14: North Carolina is on a 12-1 run and has opened up a 19-point lead on UNC-G as they have seized complete control in the Dean Dome.

7:56 1st: UNC 19, UNCG 13: Kennedy Meeks has come off the bench for UNC to lead all scorers with seven points and UNCG has turned the ball over eight times as the Tar Heels lead by six at the under-8.

11:47 1st: UNC 13, UNCG 9: The Tar Heels are shooting just 35 percent from the floor in the early going but have five offensive boards and lead UNC-G 13-9 at the under-12 timeout.

15:02 1st: UNC 6, UNCG 6: At the first media stoppage, six different players have scored and the game is tied at 6.

20:00 1st: UNC vs. UNCG: The Tar Heels look to get back into the top 25 with a win against UNCG and will march out their regular starters: Paige, Britt, James, Tokoto and McAdoo.

PREGAME

Coming off a double-digit road victory over the top-ranked team in the land, the North Carolina Tar Heels turn their attention to the UNC Greensboro Spartans for a non-league clash at the Smith Center.

North Carolina notched an impressive 79-65 victory at No. 1 Michigan State on Wednesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, its NCAA-best 13th win over teams ranked No. 1. The Tar Heels have been a tough team to gauge in the season's early going, as they also beat then third-ranked Louisville on Nov. 24, but have suffered losses to the likes of Belmont and UAB. Tonight's contest kicks off the Tar Heels' six-game homestand leading into ACC play on Jan. 5, although they'll take a one-week break for final exams following this tilt.

UNCG head coach Wes Miller makes his return to Chapel Hill, where he was a letterwinner on the Tar Heels' 2005 national title team. His Spartans dropped two of three games last week in Estero, Florida as part of the Gulf Coast Showcase before returning home Tuesday night and suffering an 87-66 setback to Presbyterian. Tonight's contest marks the first true road game of the season for UNCG.

This is the first-ever meeting between these two schools.

The Spartans were simply dominated from wire to wire against Presbyterian, as they trailed by 15 at the break and watched the deficit swell to as many as 22 midway through the second half. UNCG shot just 35.3 percent for the game while Presbyterian shot a blazing 63 percent en route to 87 points. PC also knocked down 8-of-14 3-pointers (.571) and held a 21-8 scoring edge at the foul line. Nicholas Paulos paced the Spartans with 22 points to go along with seven rebounds, while Kayel Locke (nine rebounds), Kyle Cain (11 rebounds) and Tevon Saddler (six turnovers) each scored 10 in the loss. Cain is averaging a team- best 16.9 points per game on the season behind 54-percent shooting from the floor, and he ranks second in the Southern Conference with 8.0 rebounds. Saddler is next in line with 14.1 ppg.

Surprisingly, UNC never trailed Michigan State despite playing on the road in a hostile environment against the nation's top-ranked team. Five players scored in double figures, led by freshman Kennedy Meeks, who tallied a season- high 15 points to go along with seven rebounds in just 18 minutes off the bench. Brice Johnson was next in line with 14 points, Nate Britt and Marcus Paige each scored 13, and J.P. Tokoto recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. After being dominated on the boards in last Sunday's loss at UAB (52-37), the Tar Heels managed a 49-38 rebounding advantage over the Spartans. They also held MSU to 35.9-percent shooting. Paige leads the team with 19.7 ppg on the season.

Barring a colossal letdown on its home floor, UNC should be able to notch a win over another Spartans team in this matchup.

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YouGotThatRightDec 7, 2013

I didn&#039;t even know UNCG had a basketball team until the press kept bragging about a former tar heel player becoming their coach. Same goes for App. State, ECU and UNCW. Just additional free, positive press for UNC tar heel basketball.

JohnnyVoodooDec 7, 2013

Nothing like a good cupcake win to boost the confidence.... but only up by 25? are you kiddin&#039; me?

SmokinDec 7, 2013

I keep hearing this is the first meeting, but I don&#039;t think it is. I think I remember a game in Greensboro at the Coliseum while my daughter was at UNC-G. About 10 years ago!

ncstateforeverDec 7, 2013

I like Meeks and Johnson in the line up together

ncstateforeverDec 7, 2013

View quoted thread

I'm rooting for the Heels but I'm not making anymore predictions for any of their games this year. They are too unpredictable.

— Posted by Dreamchaser

This team seems to play to the competition. I&#039;m hoping the team that beat Mich. State shows up.

DreamchaserDec 7, 2013

I&#039;m rooting for the Heels but I&#039;m not making anymore predictions for any of their games this year. They are too unpredictable.